They say not much can prepare you for a British Open win. The courses are incredibly difficult and the weather is usually terrible – sounds like another day in the woods.
Amirite?
That was exactly the case this past weekend as Georgia-native Brian Harman strolled into the final round holding a strong 5-stoke lead much to the dismay of the crowd. Harman reported in a press conference that he had been repeatedly heckled during the third round, all while maintaining his poise.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen pressed about what was said, Harman called it ‘unrepeatable’ and led us to believe it had something to do with the gallery undoubtedly pulling for his playing partner and Brit, Tommy Fleetwood.
While we can all appreciate the hometown crowd cheering for one of their own, perhaps the worst jeers came following the Bulldog’s convincing win.
A Hunter At Heart
If you’ve been a fan of Harman’s for any time, you’d know the man loves to hunt. Born and raised in Georgia, Harman’s Instagram is littered with photos and videos both detailing his past hunts as well as him getting things done around his Georgia farm – otherwise known as #farminwithharman.
Following his final round, in which he endured incredibly wet and windy weather, he was torn up at the post tournament press conference. The barrage of personal attacks came not because he, as an American, won the coveted Claret Jug. No, they went after him instead because of his love for the outdoors.
Because what pisses people off more than someone winning their first Major tournament across the pond?
A hunter winning their first Major tournament across the pond.
Opening up the questioning was one reporter who asked if Harman was going to rush out and buy a new rifle with his newfound winnings. The 36-year-old fired back stating that he prefers to use a bow and arrow. To that the questioner went on to ask “From what distance are you most deadly?” to which Harman replied “You wouldn’t want to be standing in front of me.”
Deadly indeed.
He was also asked whether he’d prefer to kill another rare animal or win another major golf championship. His obvious reply was that he does not hunt endangered species.
Sure. We can chuckle at the silliness of all of this, at least from this side of things. But in reality, it all seems a bit asinine that anyone, let alone an accomplished athlete, is subject to this kind of defamation that overshadows what truly is an amazing feat.
I, for one, had no idea about Harman’s conquests in the woods. Hell, I barely knew the guy on the golf course. All I knew was that he won his first tournament in 2014 and it was the John Deere Classic – which is, in hindsight, incredibly fitting.
A deeper look indicates that the guy can straight up play golf. Through his career he’s racked up (see what we did there?) three tour wins, 51 top ten finishes and somewhere north of $30 million in career earnings.
“Ya bUt hE sHoT a dEeR!!’
In a world where it’s said that you can be anything, that statement is proving, once again, to have its constraints.
You can be anything, sure. Other than the ever-growing list of exceptions.
One of which just happens to be a hunter.
Images via Instagram
